You've certainly seen the Final Fantasy games reorganized into some sort of numerical sequence, usually referred to as a "list," more times than you've clipped your toenails. You ain't seen nothing yet. I've found a way to arbitrarily rank these games against each other without triggering the same Final Fantasy 7 debate we've been hearing since 1998. I also avoid the absurd prospect of comparing an MMO to JRPGs. I am a genius. To the list!
Come on, it's Final Fantasy 6! If this were a "Top Multiples of 3 Final Fantasy Games" list, or even a "Top Final Fantasys 6-7 Games" list, this would still be on top. It feels ridiculous to even have to write out some sort of blurb for the game. What do you want me to say? Blah blah blah opera scene. Blah blah blah best music ever. Blah blah blah Kefka. Good enough for you?
Those of you who don't lurk GameFaqs message boards may not know this, but FF 12 is a large source of controversy amongst Final Fantasy super fans. Some felt it was a thoughtful evolution that finally added a spin to the tired JRPG combat the series was known for; while others that it was an abomination of poor design choices. Place me in the first camp.
This game could have been higher on the list if it weren't for the awkwardly uneven voice acting. The laughing scene is pretty infamous by now for its...lack of quality. But once you get past that, you'll find that Final Fantasy 10 is a game filled with imagination and beauty. It disposed of some of the arbitrary free-roaming elements of past games -- most notably the overworld -- in favor of a more linear and tightly focused game.
This game starts out slower than a netbook trying to run Crysis. It really doesn't pick up until the end of the first disc. Once it does, however, it's quite a ride. This game featured a lot of the series' deepest and most complicated systems. While the difficulty turned off plenty, especially those hoping for an experience as streamlined as Final Fantasy 7, others reveled in the complexity.
Some people are going to be upset that this game is so low. Frankly, it's by far my least favorite of the SNES Final Fantasies. While the soundtrack is great, and the story fun, these things can be said about almost any Final Fantasy. My biggest sticking point with FF 4 is its length, which lasted all of 12 hours for me. While a fine game, Final Fantasy 4 was quickly outdone in almost every way conceivable by Final Fantasy 5 and Final Fantasy 6.
People love to hate on Final Fantasy 2 for its wacky leveling mechanics. However, it improved upon the original Final Fantasy in almost every way, most notably by giving names to the game's party members and actually making them characters. The fact that they weren't particularly interesting ones was just a minor setback.
So there we have it. I hope your favorite even numbered Final Fantasy was assigned the numeric value you wished for it. If not, tell me so in the comments below. It's not a real list unless everyone calls for my head!
